Many ministry leaders use video to communicate GENERAL updates to their financial supporters but FEW have leveraged video to share SPECIFIC and PERSONAL messages.
Personalized video thank you’s can be a powerful tool for your online communication strategy because it stands out from other pieces of mass online communication and comes across as personal, timely, and authentic (three words that are rarely used with online fundraising).
Record 1o short personalized videos (rather than 1 impersonal and generic video) using your supporters names, and mentioning things that are interesting and relevant to them (use Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn to find these things out–visit their profile and see what they are doing.
Use the camera on your computer, and keep it simple and authentic. You do not need an HD camera and Final Cut Pro.
Keep it short (one minute, 30 second max).
Send it to your supporters on the online channel that THEY prefer–if you do not know this would be a crucial piece of information to find out. Consider texting it to them–if they have a smartphone and it’s a YouTube link it should easily open.
Upload it to YouTube as an Unlisted video so that you can easily track views (to see if they actually watched it) and to place it on a trusted video platform.
Unlisted means that only people who know the link to the video can view it (such as friends or family to whom you send the link). An unlisted video will not appear in any of YouTube’s public spaces (such as search results, your channel, or the Browse page). You don’t need a YouTube account to watch the video (you can see an unlisted video if someone sends you the video’s link).–YouTube’s privacy settings
Bowling Green State University went crazy and made an over the top personalized thank you video for those who funded their new arena (I don’t recommend this unless you have people giving the same amounts as these dudes:
Hi Brian,
I’ve been thinking about this recently; glad you brought it up. Wondering if you (or others) you know have specific examples of videos from a ministry perspective?
i think as long as they are short, sincere, and personal then they are great. i’m sure it’s a little awkward for people to share links to their personal videos since they are meant for 1 or 2 people.
i’d try email!